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Fifteen minutes after the final gun sounded, Covington senior running back C.J. Sims sat motionless on a wooden bench with every piece of his uniform intact. His gold helmet faced down and tears streamed to the concrete floor.

The 14th-seeded Lions had just fallen 28-27 Friday night to second-seeded Parkway, one of the most prolific offenses in the state. It didn’t matter to Sims or anyone else in the locker room that no one gave them a chance to stay close or that they missed one last shot at a game-winning drive in this Class 5A semifinals game by half the length of a football.

On fourth-and-1 at the Covington 28, Parkway quarterback Brandon Harris, an LSU commitment, pushed the line just enough for a first down with 1:50 to go. The Panthers were able to run out the clock from there.

“When they brought out the chains, that 30 seconds seemed like an hour,” Covington senior defensive back Andrew Breeland said. “When that ball was over, there wasn’t much we could do to stop it.”

Covington (9-5) couldn’t hold on to the momentum it had seized in the first half. And despite a monstrous effort by its defense to relatively shut down Harris in the second half, its offense couldn’t get anything moving.

“I think our players were the only ones who knew how good Covington was,” Parkway Coach David Feaster said. “Fortunately, they believed when they saw the film and discarded those four losses. That’s ridiculous; I don’t know how that team lost any games.”

And he should know. The Panthers, who average more than 50 points per game, remain undefeated at 13-0 heading into the state title game against top-seeded Acadiana on Dec. 14. Acadiana advanced to the title game by defeating No. 4 Destrehan 35-7.

Early on, other than a couple of turnovers that allowed Covington to hold the momentum for the first 13 minutes, Harris was just as advertised. He came up with a spectacular 33-yard touchdown run in which he dodged several Lions on the way to the end zone to cut Covington’s lead to 14-7 in the first quarter.

Harris connected on two scoring passes later in the quarter to give the Panthers a brief lead, and then led them on a 97-yard scoring drive to hand them the advantage for good with 11:36 remaining.

He finished with 29 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown, and completed 11 of 20 pass attempts for 109 yards with two scores and an interception.

Still, the Lions had their chances. Three consecutive drives in the late third and early fourth quarters ended on interceptions, including one on a halfback pass attempt by Sims at the Parkway 26.

With what turned out to be their final chance, Covington Coach Greg Salter handed to Sims, who had trouble making cuts in the second half with a sprained ankle. On fourth-and-1 from the Lions 40, Sims was stuffed in the backfield, and the Panthers ran out the clock.

“The last time we had that situation, they loaded up in the box, and we had one man to beat and we didn’t do a very good job on the inside with the linebacker filling in the gap,” Salter said. “We just didn’t execute. Wasn’t for a lack of effort or a lack of heart. …

“Our kids fought their butts off, but you can’t make that many mistakes in a game this big. I’m full of pride. This is a tough way to lose when you’re right there and have a chance to win it. Right now, however, all I’m concerned about is the 23 seniors that wanted this so bad. I wish I could’ve taken them to that one final step.”

Hours before the game, it was uncertain if Sims would even play. He twisted an ankle in the regionals at East Ascension and only made it for two plays last week against Central - BR. He didn’t practice all week, but Salter decided to give him a chance.

Sims made a nice move and bolted for a 58-yard run to set up the Lions second score, but he had trouble moving laterally after that and finished his last game with 106 yards on 20 carries. When it was over he could not have cared less about his ankle.

“I didn’t want to take my uniform off. I don’t want to leave,” Sims said. “These aren’t just my teammates; they’re my brothers. We are so close. I feel like (pause) ... I don’t know. Once a Covington Lion, always a Covington Lion.”